In this week's 'Where are they now?' feature for Crystal Palace, we have cast our minds back to the late 1990s.

The Eagles had just returned to the old Division One after relegation from the Premier League in 1998.

And then boss Terry Venables managed to bring this young lad down to south London from one of the top flight's big clubs. He had been on the bench in Merseyside a handful of times as a kid, at just 18.

So, who are we on about?

Mandatory Credit: Tony O''Brien /Allsport

Whatever happened to Palace winger Nicky Rizzo?

Well, he came to England from Australia in 1996 season at just 16, following a successful eight-day trial organised by former Socceroo Archie Blue, and began playing for the Reds' reserve team.

He was then promoted to the first team in 1997 before he was part of their matchday squad the following campaign.

Rizzo was an unused substitute six times for Anfield side in the top flight, and made his debut for Australia against Croatia, before Palace came calling the following summer in 1998.

Venables had no qualms about playing him in Division One fairly soon, as the left-footer made his home debut in September 1998 against Port Vale, coming on at half-time for Darren Amsalem.

Rizzo got his first start in the League Cup 11 days later in south London against Bury, before starting his first league game against Sheffield United later in the same week.

Venables liked what he saw and continued to use Rizzo from the start or off the bench, and the Australian scored his first goal for Palace weeks later in a 5-1 thrashing of Norwich City at Selhurst Park. Watch that goal, below.

The Canaries had taken the lead, but Rizzo equalised two minutes later, before further goals from Matt Jansen, Matthias Svensson and Attilio Lombardo.

And below is a clip of Rizzo delivering a cross which lead to a Palace goal in 1998.

In total in his first proper season in English football, he played 20 times for Palace, with just that one strike.

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It was a similar story in the 1999/2000 season, as he played another 20 games and this time scored two goals.

One of them was in the League Cup away at Colchester United, coming off the bench at half-time for Andrew Frampton and scoring a last-gasp equaliser in the final moments to earn a replay. Watch that goal, below.

And the other goal came in that replay two weeks later in SE25, again scoring late on to put the finishing touch on a 3-1 win.

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Rizzo dropped down further into Italian football with A.C. Prato for one season in 2003.

In late-2004, Rizzo had overcome a few injury problems and returned to England with Milton Keynes Dons, after receiving advice from Venables. He would end up staying for three seasons.

He impressed for the Dons down the left wing some eye-catching performances. Three weeks after joining, Rizzo scored his first goal, giving his side the lead against Wrexham in League One.

Nicky Rizzo of Milton Keynes Dons during the friendly game between Milton Keynes Dons and West Bromwich Albion on July 13, 2005 (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

He was a permanent fixture in the starting line-up until February, before making just six more appearances until May. He also scored his second goal away at Peterborough United, opening the scoring early on in a 3-0 win.

The following season was better for Rizzo, playing 35 games in all competitions and scoring three times.

But the 2006/07 campaign was one to forget, featuring just ten times in total for the club.

Here's one of this goals for MK Dons, and it was a great striker, too, below.

He also went out on loan to Grimsby Town - which lasted just a week in the January of 2007 - and also Chesterfield at the end of that season.

And it was that summer when the Dons decided to let him go.

It was time to go back to his home country at the age of 27, where Rizzo joined Perth Glory.

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It initially got better for him back in Australia, staying for two seasons until 2009.

When he wasn't offered a new contract, Rizzo went on to sign for Central Coast Mariners in an AFC Champions League campaign, but the deal was short-lived and he was soon on the lookout for his next club.

He decided to move into semi-professional football at 30 with a team based near Sydney, called APIA Leichardt Tigers and stayed there for four years until 2013, clocking up around 60 appearances.

He returned to England to visit former club MK Dons and gave the club an interview, looking back on his time there. Watch that, below.